1 MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH, 455
2 with that object, and His Highness was intensely pleased with it. The
3 Mahardjé was in great spirits throughout the interview, and was very in-
4 quisitive regarding the management and drill of British troops, the pay
5 of officers of different grades, the charge for the guns, and the weight of metal
6 in each shot. He was greatly struck with the evolutions performed by the
7 British troops. At the conclusion of all these ceremonies, and on the night
8 in question, a fresh treaty of perpetual friendship between His Highness
9 and the British Government was executed and signed by the parties
10 concerned. This was merely the renewal of the 1809 treaty, with
11 additional clauses relating to the navigation of the Indus. On the follow-
12 ing morning, namely the Ist of November 1881, both camps broke up and *
13 commenced their return march.
14 At the meeting at Ropar, Ranjit Singh invited to his camp two
15 officers of rank, who, he believed enjoyed the Governor-General’s confi-
16 dénce above all the rest. One of these was His Lordship’s official secretary.
17 He had a long conversation with these officers on the affairs of Sindh,
18 and expressed frankly what his own views regarding that country were. He
19 alluded to the richness of the country, its immense resources, and the
20 distracted state of the Government under the Mirs. He coveted its treasures
21 which, he said, had been accumulated there since the ,invasion of Hindostdn
22 by Nddir Shah, and hinted that the country might be easily conquered, as
23 it had no standing army and no soldiers. He also alluded to the recent
24 conduct of the Mirs of Sindh in not allowing Lieutenant Burnes a passage
25 through their country till afler much demur, and after a strong representa-
26 tion had been made to them by the British Political Agent at Katch. He
27 therefore proposed joint action with the British against the Mirs of Sindh.
28 The Governer-General had, however, already deputed Colonel Pottinger on
29 a political mission to the Court of Sindh, to open negociations with the
30 Mirs for the opening of the lower portion of the river Indus to the com-
31 merce of Kurope and India, and it was not thought proper to make any
32 communication yet to the Maharaja, lest he should endeavour, by secret
33 working, to counteract the peaceful and beneficial project of the British
34 Government.
35 On 9th November, the Mahardjd reached Kapurthalla, where he was the
36 guest of Sardar Fateh Singh, Ahluwalia. The sardar had made grand
37 preparations for the Mahardja reception, and the Mahardjd& and his sardars
38 freely indulged in the festivities which had been provided for them. After
39 visiting Amritsarand performing his religious services in the temple there,
40 the Mahardjé returned to Léhore on the 16th, when orders were issued to
41 Prince Sher Singh to go to Kdshmir to look after the affairs of the valley.
42 Prince Kharak Singh was at the same time deputed to Tank and Bannu to
43 levy contributions and nazrdénds from the Maliks and Khans of these dis-
44 tricts. The same year Mir Akhor, the agent of Sardar Purdil Khan, the
45 governor of Kandahar, arrived at the court of Léhore, with a present of
46 horses from his master, and received presents in exchange and a dress of
47 honour on his departure to his country. Nawdb Sadiq Mahomed Khan of
48 Bahawalpur, to whom the district of Dera Ghdzi Khan had been leased for
49 two lakhs and twenty-five thousand rupees per annum, having withheld pay-
50 ment for two years General Ventura was sent io Béhdwalpur, at the head
51 * of a force to enforce the tribute. The Nawdb still failing to remit the
52 money, property belonging to him, to the amount of six lakhs of rupees,
53 was confiscated.
54 In December of the same year a communication was received at
55 the Lahore Darbar from the Governor-General of India, expressing His
56 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary
57 A new treaty of
58 friendship between the
59 Government of India
60 and the Maharaja. -
61 Siened 31st October,
62 The camp breaks up,
63 Ast November 1831,
64 Ranjit Singh’s
65 designs regarding
66 Sindh.
67 He proposes joint
68 action with the British
69 against that country.
70 The British Govern-
71 ment refrain from
72 divulging the tenor of
73 their proposition in
74 regard to Sindh.
75 The Mahardja’s
76 return to Lahore, 16th
77 November 1831.
78 Arrival of the
79 Kandabar Agent.
80 Forfeiture of Nawab
81 Bahawal Khan’s pro-
82 perty in detault of
83 payment of subsidy.
84 The scheme of open-
85 ing the Sutiey and the
86 Tudus to conumerce,
87 NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com